Oblivion

 

 

Oblivion is one of those Sci-fi movies that I was very intrigued to see after seeing the first trailer. Sci-fi movies dealing with post-apocalyptic life on Earth are movies that are simply done a ton, and so while I wanted to see Oblivion I believed that I knew how the story line would go and that nothing in this movie would surprise me. I loved the concept and I think the softly spoken afterword by Tom Cruise's character ends up giving this Sci-fi epic a true hum heart beat that you do not always get from movies. It is always interesting how the marketing for films with the trailers seem to give us great action sequences with blockbuster explosions, yet Oblivion ends up being a movie that is completely different from that in that it gives a human story and characters that are driven by a common purpose. Oblivion is another one of those movies that is visually stunning and gives some amazing effects that place Oblivion in the same realm as a lot of the movies that are known to be visually stunning and a treat to watch because of that.

 

Overall the cast for Oblivion is fairly small and because of that it makes the roles all that more important. Tom Cruise plays Jack Harper, our main character. He is a veteran who is assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources and yet he starts to question who he truly is and the dreams about himself he is experiencing that feel a lot like memories even though he had gone through a mandatory memory wipe as part of his mission. Cruise is definitely extremely talented and he is able to really be an amazing action star. For me I am a fan of Cruise as an action star simply because of his great ability to be completely locked in on a role. Andrea Riseborough in the role of Victoria, Cruise's mission partner is a great counter with Cruise. Where Cruise's character is questioning everything she follows every regulation in the rule book to a "Tee." The chemistry between Cruise and Riseborough works well as one is questioning his life the interaction for the two of them has an uneasy awkwardness that just works. Morgan Freeman in his supporting role was semi-memorable even though he may have been under utilized in the end. Based on the trailer I believed Freeman's character to play a much larger role and so I was wanting more of his character because I found him to be an intriguing character. The rest of the cast are there and really just serve the purpose as truly this film is carried by Cruise's charisma.

 

The plot for Oblivion is really one that was thought out very well and that is truly apparent as everything is woven together very nicely. This is one of those Sci-fi movies in which I will not share much of the story because I do not want to give away anything. Oblivion ends up being a powerful journey into the unknown and just when you think you know where everything is going, it takes a turn and nothing is really as it seem. I loved how the explosive set pieces took a backseat to a character driven Sci-fi movie which is something that is not seen very often. Kosinski's direction just worked very well in Oblivion. The visuals I saw on the big screen are awe-inspiring, it was great as how this visuals gave a similar futuristic visual feeling that was in Tron: Legacy, so it did not surprise me at all when I found out that Kosinski also directed Tron: Legacy. Kosinski is definitely a director for everyone to keep their eye on as he continues in his directing skills and he is one that will continue to impress.

 

The action sequences work very well with the CGI in Oblivion. With a Sci-fi movie I never know what to expect in the CGI as they do not always get the budget one needs for a Sci-fi movie to not only be successful, but also for it to meet the quality one expects on the big screen. The action sequences were simple and not overly done, which helped keep the story moving and still allowed the movie to be the non-usual character driven movie. The music used in Oblivion was perfect for the tone and feel of a strong Sci-fi movie without overtaking everything else.

 

Oblivion is a Sci-fi movie that in the end was nothing like I expected and nothing was what it seemed throughout the movie. Tom Cruise gives another strong performance and the charisma he has onscreen helped to get through some of the slower moments. I did feel like the movie was a little too long and had they simply cut a little here and there it could have helped tighten the movie up some. With the story being character driven for a Sci-fi movie was fairly unique. I am giving Oblivion three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. The visuals for Oblivion are well worth seeing in the theater so I would definitely recommend any movie goer especially Sci-fi fans to see it on the biggest screen they can find.

 

-The Movie Man